The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1887-01-28

uOO, anu tut JAN anu inc OIhuBb luASI-
lace their branches in the same grove.
round all the land are the waters OF
the great ocean, from which soft winds
temper the heat of an almost tropic sun.
Living in such scenes of enchantmeut
these people are as light of heart and
sunny in iispo-ition as children. and SO
polite and pleasure loving as to excite
the admiration Of even their French and
Italian visitors There is no dwellin 20
humble but it has a spot for trees ard
flowers. The rich have gardens in which
are faithful renroductions in NINA ure
of their varied landscapes, hidden in
trees and Towering shrubbery. Every
farmers plot of land is beautiful and
adorned. The gold of the ripened rice
and whea; is contrasted against a back
ground Of green foliage Whatever name
may be given TO the religion of that peo-
pie, and whatever creeds and doctrines
may have been engrafted upon their be-
liefs, the main feature of their worship
is an intense love. amounting almost 10
an alteration, of nature. This appears
in their whole life. They have built
their temples on the sides of the great
mountains, embowered them in over
hanging groves, and surrounded them
with everything of towering shrub. The
sites of these command beautiful views
of the surrounding country, and usually
are near fountains and waterfalls. The
village shrines are located in the most
charming spots of the neighborhood,
and no labor is spared to adorn and beau
tify them. The highways are bordered
by rows of trees, planted centuries ago,
whose branches form an evergreen arch
over the head Of the traveller The road
to Mike, where the temples AMI tombs
of the Tycoons are situated, has grand
avenue of giant frs. For sixty miles
one may ride in the shade Of these wide
branching trees From Yokohama south
to Kioto, the old capital, 400 miles, the
road is one continuously shaded avenue,
winding along the ocean shore, around
narrow bays and inlets and over high
hills and mountain sides.
Unlike their neighbors, the Chinese,
the japanese take time from their toll
to enjoy all this. Their government may
have been despotic and arbitrary, but it
never overworked its laboring popula
ton. 1t gave them more holidays than
any people under the sun ever enjoyed.
They had what we're known a, the
''Ichi-roku" days, that is.-all the days in
the lunar months that were designated
by one or six. Thus the LIST, 9TH, It'll,
10th. 21st and 26th days of each month
were legal holidays In addition to
these. the birthdays of the ruling En-
peror and Empress, and also OF several
of the greatest of their predecessors of
the ruling dynasty, which reaches back
through $500 years, are holidays. Every
village has festivals in honor Of its patron
saint, and the saints of the famous tenn
piles and shrines have festal days. On
all these the people, in their holiday
dresses, gather at the temples and shrines
for thanksgiving and to admire the
beauties of earth and sky Whole neigh
borhoods turn out their population,
leaving only enough people at home 20
care for the households, and go some
times hundreds of miles, on what may
appropriately be called these religion
picnics. They walk along the shaded
avenues, talking, laugh ne and singing.
They rest when weary from walking in
the shade of the great trees by some
clear stream, or some bubbling spring
All these great highways are lined with
tea booths, where, tea, rice, eggs or cakes
can be had for an incomparably low
price.
The spring and summer bring the
flower festivals, when city and village
streets for miles are filed with the most
beautiful floral exhibitions, and crowds
of admiring people. There is no more
beautiful sight than one of the long
wide streets lighted at night and filed
with flowers. The love of the beautiful
has led the Japanese to forego the grosser
pleasure of ting the fruit of the cherry
tree in order that they may enjoy the
beauty and fragrance of the cherry bios
SONS. There are large groves of the
double-fowered cherry trees in all parts
of the country, which grow to enormous
size The flower is as large as a rose.
and when in full bloom these groves are
4 marvel of beauty, and are visited by
thousands of people, who spend the
whole day in these fowerY avenues. The
chrysanthemum gardens, to be found in
all towns and villages, are points of
great attraction. In these are to be seen
every variety of that flower, every shade
of color, and almost every size Of bios
som.
The summer sees streams of people,
the poor as well as the rich. going to
gaze at Fujiama, the pearl of mountains.
No person is so poor and no distance so
great but several pilgrimages are made
in lifetime TO the venerated mountain.
In the autumn, when the golden rice and
wheat and the brown millet have been
gathered, the harvest festival is held
in every part of the country There
in the groves, on soft green carpets
spread BY nature, under the full harvest
moon, they make merry, night after
night, with song and dance. At these
harvest festivals all classes, from prince
to peasant, rejoice together over the
ample winters store. 1t is not only
in this intense worship of nature
that the beauty of their country has
nodded and influenced their natural
character. 1t is seen in their domestic
intercourse. In all the conventionalit e.
of polite life they are far in advance OF
any people in the Occident This refined
politeness pervades every grade of so
ciety. 1t is Just as noticeable among the
lower as in the higher classes. To be
rude in word or act is to become a social
outcast. The poorest workers, when
they meet, greet each other as politely,
and pass the compliments OF the day as
freely and feelingly as do those of higher
stations. While the vocabulary of com
pliments and blessings is long one,
there are no words for curse in theil
whole language. There NAV be hate,
jealousy and envy, but they find no yer
bal expression. 1t is constant delight
to hear only pleasant words and good
wishes.
The relations of masters and servant,
are as admirable as possible They ar,
mutual and confidential While the ser
want studies the interest of the master
the latter makes the welfare of the ser
want and his family his duty. The ser
want is made to feel that he is factor o